NewsRabada excited by the new generation of South African playersFast bowler calls Kwena Maphaka an “extremely exciting talent”08-Aug-2025 • 1 hr ago
Kagiso Rabada is back in South Africa colours this week and finds himself looking around the dressing-room with a sense of déjà vu. A decade has passed since he was the raw kid on tour, yet the memories are fresh enough for him to recognise the same wide-eyed optimism in the current batch of rookies. South Africa meet Australia for three T20s and three ODIs, starting Sunday in Darwin, and the selectors have not been shy about fast-tracking youth.
“You were talking earlier about when I came here for the first time, that kind of reminds me of the space that they’re in,” he said, relaxed but purposeful after training. “I’m sure they just want to do their best. They’ve got no fear. When you’re young, you’ve got no fear at all. And yeah, I mean, I’m excited to see how they’re going to go in their careers.”
The tour party certainly looks different to the one that reached the World Test Championship final in June. Then, experience ruled; now the eyes are fixed on two white-ball World Cups – the T20 event in 2026 and the home 50-over showpiece the following year. To be properly ready, South Africa feel they must give the next generation meaningful cricket, not just net sessions.
Among those handed an opportunity are Lhuan-dre Pretorius, leading run-scorer in the recent SA20, Dewald Brevis, whose flair first caught the eye at the 2022 Under-19 World Cup, and 19-year-old left-arm quick Kwena Maphaka. Maphaka owns an IPL deal, national caps in all three formats and the respect of the senior pros. Rabada has already described him as an “extremely exciting talent.”
Captain Aiden Markram enjoys the restless energy the teenagers have injected. “You know how it is to be 19-20 again and there’s not many worries in the world at that age and it reflects in when they train and how you see them operate. So, very exciting…each country has their own youngsters coming through and we got a handful of them this tour and it’s an exciting and great opportunity for us to see what they’re about and allow them to entertain people.”
Rabada, meanwhile, is refreshed after a short post-WTC break on the Greek islands. Nine wickets at The Oval took plenty out of him, yet the break has done its job; the physios have signed him off and he says he is “fully fit”. The 30-year-old accepts his role has shifted. He is not merely the strike bowler any more – he is also the sounding board.
“Because of the fact that he’s a bowler as well, you know, kind of makes it more, from my point of view, that I’m obliged to almost take him under extra care,” Rabada said, referring to Maphaka. “But I think he’s going to learn, you know, from his own experiences as well and from his own journey. And we’re just there to be a sounding board, you know, not necessarily get involved into their careers too much, but be sounding boards.”
Maphaka’s rise has been quick. Two Tests, two ODIs and eight T20Is have brought 18 wickets – respectable numbers for a teenager still getting used to sharing a new-ball with household names. The raw assets are obvious: high pace, a natural angle across right-handers and a deceptive bouncer. Consistency will come, coaches say, with overs and honest feedback.
That feedback will now come from Shukri Conrad, installed as white-ball head coach. Conrad is known within South African circles for left-field ideas – unconventional field placements, early use of part-time bowlers, aggressive batting orders. Rabada appears intrigued. “You’re looking at growing this team within the next year and a half. That’s the bigger goal looking into 2027 [ODI World Cup], but certainly a short-term goal is to find combinations for the T20s,” he noted, admitting some tactical calls in the first practice left even the senior trio of bowlers scratching their heads.
For Australia the series is a tune-up ahead of a packed home summer but, for South Africa, it feels more like chapter one of a longer story. The selectors have been criticised in the past for guarding caps too tightly. Now, place security is less of a given. Even Rabada – never short of confidence – admits the internal competition is intense and healthy.
Analytically, South Africa’s immediate challenge is simple: settle on a death-bowling pair and identify two middle-order finishers. Terrace talk says Brevis could slot in at No.4, Pretorius at No.6, but the proof will be in runs and wickets when Mitchell Starc or Pat Cummins have the ball. Modern international schedules leave little room for rehearsals; Darwin might be humid and low-scoring, Perth next week fast and bouncy. Adapting quickly will decide selections.
Results still matter, of course. Lose 3-0 and confidence can drain, even from young minds. Yet there is a sense, conveyed quietly in the corridors, that the management will forgive the occasional mis-step if the broader trend is upward. Rabada has bought into that view; his own career arc shows how early exposure to tough cricket accelerated his development.
The senior fast bowler summed up the mood without fuss. “These games [against Australia] would be, you know, just to get a feel for one another as team-mates,” he said, before jogging off to join the warm-up. If South Africa’s youngsters mirror his work-rate and absorb a fraction of his know-how, the long-term plan might stay on schedule.
